Category: Superindendent

By Peter Sung, Conference Coach, PacNWC

I feel great hope and joy when physics, psychology, philosophy, and some cultural phenomenon all come together to corroborate a piece of theology. Take, for example, the 2nd Law of thermodynamics which states that within a closed system, over time, entropy (chaos, decay, death) increases. Everything, left to its own devices, gets worse, not better. I have a long homeowner’s list of things that are getting worse, relationships, too. My anxiety is not without reason! But the curse of the 2nd Law, this law of death, can be mitigated and even reversed. The best example of this is the earth and the sun. Our earth, left alone, would immediately succumb to the 2nd Law, but the sun, our constant source of energy, mitigates and reverses this tendency. The sun adds energy from outside the system to perpetuate life here on earth.

This 2nd Law helps illuminate this key theology in the Bible. Genesis 2:17 says: “…for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” This death was the introduction of the law of death, the 2nd law. Revelation 22:3-5 spells it out:

“God’s curse will no longer be on the people of that city. He and the Lamb will be seated there on their thrones, and its people will worship God and will see him face to face. God’s name will be written on the foreheads of the people. Never again will night appear, and no one who lives there will ever need a lamp or the sun. The Lord God will be their light, and they will rule forever.”

It turns out, there will come a day when we won’t have to worry about fighting back the inevitable demise of all things because the 2nd Law itself will be done away with (God’s curse will no longer be on the people of that city.). In fact, we won’t even need the sun anymore because all along, the sun was just a placeholder for God who himself will be our everlasting energy source from outside of the system (holy)! Look at these other verses that repeat this promise:

And the city did not need the sun or the moon. The glory of God was shining on it, and the Lamb was its light.

Revelation 21:33

You won’t need the light of the sun or the moon. I, the Lord your God, will be your eternal light and bring you honor. Your sun will never set or your moon go down. I, the Lord, will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will come to an end.

Isaiah 60:19-20

Jesus said to his followers: “You are the light of the world.” As a follower of Christ, do you add energy? Or do you take it? There is a show on Hulu, a comedy about vampires called, What We Do In The Shadows. My favorite character is the energy vampire, and he feeds, not by drinking blood but by draining peope of their energy. He works at an office and every morning for breakfast, he goes around being long-winded, oversharing details, and in general, being unaware of himself. The people he interacts with are drained of their energy and his eyes glow from the feeding. Are you an energy vampire to those around you? Or, are you the light of the world? Is your church an energy vampire to those around it? Is your church, as a light, set on a hill, visible and adding energy to help mitigate and reverse chaos and decay?

Most fundamentally, to be followers of Christ, means to be light, to be those that add energy rather than drain. Looking around, it’s hard to deny that to be American means to be consumeristic. Whether we show up at church, a store, a school, or to a relationship, we judge by what we get, whether we were entertained, whether we liked it, whether it was agreeable to our particular sensibilities. In what spaces and situations do we appreciate being contradicted and challenged, show up to give rather than to receive? Maybe we’re supposed to be exiles, missionaries, and pilgrims, bringing light — energy — wherever we go, and now individualistic consumeristic vampires.

One more passage and encouragement I leave with you this holiday season. In Philippians 3,, Paul shares about his own journey, from being one seeking to gain energy to one who learned to connect to an everlasting energy source by dying to all that he considered to be gain. He summarizes his testimony in this way: “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ… For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things… in order that I may gain Christ… that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”

I encourage you to add energy wherever you show up. Seek to give, to bless, to encourage, to be the light that you are, even if it means dying to yourself a little bit.

Q4 Emphasis on Scripture

By Dawn Taloyo, Associate Superintendent, PacNWC

I just counted ten Bibles on my office bookshelf. That number doesn’t include versions in the other rooms in my house or the myriad of versions available to me digitally at my fingertips. It is easy to take the accessibility of Scripture for granted. I was reminded of this recently when I listened to the inaugural episode of the Love the Cov podcast, which included an interview of C. John Weborg, lifelong Covenanter and professor emeritus of theology at North Park Theological Seminary. He reminded listeners of the earliest beginnings of the Covenant in Sweden where a growing movement of small groups (called Conventicles) popped up with members joyfully gathering around Scripture and experiencing a renewal of faith and fruitfulness. These Swedes became known as “Readers,” exemplifying what a unique experience of faith and practice this was during that time and context.

The Word of God, as our first affirmation says, is central to our spiritual formation and discipleship as well as central to our Covenant identity.  In 2008 the ECC published a resource paper called, “The Evangelical Covenant Church and the Bible,” to remind us of this historic heartbeat of the ECC as well as to “…renew our commitment to the authority of God as revealed in the Scriptures. Our desire is to keep alive, strong, and always growing the flame that first burned in our forebears for the authority and power of God’s word.” Also in 2008, a supplemental small group study guide, called Exploring God’s Word was produced by the then named Department of Christian Formation, to guide Covenanters through that resource paper.

My purpose in this is to remind us of our critical history as well as these resources that can still be accessed at the covchurch.org website to be used in our local churches.  In a time when we are feeling disoriented (and divided) by so many concerns and issues of the day, and we are hearing renewed calls towards a deeper and heartier discipleship (think Ps 1; Jer 17:7-8), I want to point us to the Word of God. Let us return to being “Readers,” which in the early days meant reading and discussing the Word regularly in community.

Important to our Covenant roots and culture is not only that we read, but how we read Scripture. We are encouraged in these resources to read. [Full stop.] We are also encouraged to read with a particular posture and appreciation. The writers summarize the Covenant approach to reading as this:

We read the Bible…

…Faithfully

…Communally

…Rigorously

…Charitably

…Holistically

…with commitments to grace, transformation, and mission.

I will not take the time here to explain each of these approaches, but encourage you to check out the paper and study guide for a deeper dive. What is described is hallmark to what it means to be Covenant and helps reconnect us to our historic roots. Importantly for today, they provide common commitments for a people who do not want to give up meeting together (Hebrews 10:25), and who want to find a shared approach to reading, discussing and growing in God’s Word.

By Erik Cave, Director of NextGen Ministries, PacNWC

I freaked out a little bit during the week leading up to Thunder. I began to worry that groups would show up having forgotten about our COVID protocols. I sent an email to all of our group leaders apologizing for the hassle, and asking for them to reply confirming they are on board. The results were surprising. Several replied saying that going through the requirements was well worth it. They were overwhelmingly thankful for the opportunity to participate even though preparation was difficult.

As I reflect on Thunder I, too, am overwhelmingly thankful. I sincerely think it was one of our best retreats ever. (See Brianne Fenton’s reflection for more details) It was also very difficult to plan for. Dealing with COVID concerns, managing additional details and balancing increasing costs were just a few of the challenges our planning team faced. In the week leading up to thunder we lost 50 attendees to COVID testing, and other issues, leading to a below normal total attendance.

Thunder was far from normal, yet it is easy to be thankful when I focus on what God was doing. I am thankful that we were able to gather. I am thankful that God moved through our speaker, worship band, small group times, and one-on-one connections. I am thankful that we had fun and were safe. I am thankful for the hard work by our planning team and Cascades staff. I am thankful that I was able to see my friends and colleagues face to face as we ministered to a bunch of middle schoolers. 

Thankfulness is my new normal. We are all wrestling with the reality that we are never returning to the normal we once knew. People think differently about church today. We have lost members and regular attenders. Our gatherings are challenging. Yet, God is at work in big and small ways.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 

1 Thessalonians 5:18

I believe thankfulness needs to be our new normal. Paul instructs us in Thessalonians to give thanks in all circumstances. Paul knew what it was like to lead a church in trying circumstances. He also understood that giving thanks is transformational. Thankfulness turns our attention away from our trials to the One who is working through our trials. It transforms our sorrow into celebration. 

Let this be an encouragement to lean into thanksgiving in our personal lives and corporate worship services. We have a lot to be thankful for! I am thankful our churches are finding ways to gather again. I am thankful that the Gospel is transforming lives. I am thankful that the church is more accessible than ever through online ministry. 

Our summer camps were not normal, and we are thankful. Our Getaway for Women was not normal, and we are thankful. Our Clergy Retreat was not normal, and we are thankful. Thunder was not normal, and we are thankful. Our Sunday services are not normal, and we are thankful. 

The new normal is, and must be, thankfulness. 

By Greg Yee, Superintendent, PacNWC

We enter the last quarter of the year.  To review, we’ve been concentrating on an area of our faith and life together this past year.  For a quarter each, we focused on evangelism, prayer, and community.  To close out the year, we turn our focus to God’s holy and perfect Word. 

As followers of Christ and in our particular Covenant tribe, we state as the first of our six Affirmations:

We affirm the centrality of the Word of God

And within this leading Affirmation we state the Holy Scripture, the Old and the New Testament, is the Word of God and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct.

Our denominational family was deeply influenced and formed by different historical movements connected to our immigrant roots.  One significant stream was Pietism.  I want to remind us of some of this history and our core identity by liberally quoting from our affirmation materials found here. 

Our Affirmation describes Pietism as a renewal movement that originated in seventeenth-century Europe and emphasized the need for a personal life in Jesus Christ, sanctification through the Holy Spirit, and call to service in the world. Pietism, in seeking a balance between the head and the heart, affirmed that correct doctrine is a necessary though not sufficient condition for vital and growing faith.

One notable leader in this movement was Philipp Jakob Spener (1635- 1705), who concentrated on challenging the church toward a deeper life in Christ.  His wide call to the church was that this depth would only come from a few basics that included widespread reading and study of the Bible. 

When Spener presented his proposals for the renewal of the church, his first concern was with the centrality of the Word of God in the life of the congregation and of individual believers. He wrote: Thought should be given to a more extensive use of the Word of God among us. We know that by nature we have no good in us. If there is to be any good in us, it must be brought about by God. To this end the Word of God is the powerful means, since faith must be enkindled through the Gospel….The more at home the word of God is among us, the more we shall bring about faith and its fruits.

These are the root from which we were born as a mission movement – a denomination.    

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

Heb 4:12 (NLT)

Every morning my 16-year old and I read passage of Scripture on our 18 mile drive to school.  We start it immediately before we get lost in our mobiles or turn on the radio.  We’ve been reading the same passage each week as we pull out of the neighborhood and make our way to the 405, I love hearing my son read God’s word and for us to share what stood out to us afterward.  I also love seeing my 26-year old’s Bible (see photo). I love his love for the Word and how this well-worn cover tells me what’s important to him.  Nothing makes me happier than seeing my kids in love with the Word of God. 

I love hearing about so many of you throughout our churches that have been walking through Immerse together, setting scheduled daily scripture readings, using Bible reading plans like those found on the YouVersion app, using a Bible-in-a-year Bible, practicing lectio divina,…, and hearing about how you too are orienting your families around the living and active Word of God. 

We look forward to providing testimonies and resources to you this quarter to spur you on.  We want to encourage you to up your game and raise the priority of Scripture in your life: reading, meditating, memorizing, centering, devoting,…

Spener challenges us again, The more at home the word of God is among us, the more we shall bring about faith and its fruits.

By Greg Yee, Superintendent, PacNWC

Before coming to the PacNWC, I served as the associate superintendent of our sister conference to the south.  What I don’t think many of you know, though, is that while working with the conference, I also helped plant a second-generation ministry at our Mien Covenant Church in South Sacramento. 

Think of the Mien People like the Hmong (think gold medalist Sunisa Lee).  Both people groups are mostly from Laos.  And both were U.S. allies during the Vietnam War. I recently read that the Hmong had a 10x casualty rate compared to U.S. soldiers. 

It was at Mien Cov that I began to hear stories about friends and family members that were connected to or worked directly with the U.S. during the war.  As the war came to an abrupt end, the Mien were not evacuated.  Many had to embark on a treacherous journey that included running from the Communists at night, surviving minefields and not easily crossing the border.

The Mien found their way to refugee camps in Chengmai, Thailand (we have Cov missionaries there today!).  There they were processed by U.N. workers that prepared them for their journey to the U.S.  For whatever reason some U.N. workers decided to put June 15th for many people’s date of birth.  They call this their “camp birthday”!

One memory that sticks out from my time at Mien Cov was at a funeral of an elder male member.  At the service I was surprised to see several of the elder men in the church in army fatigues (see picture).  I was told they had served in Vietnam. But here they were not officially recognized as veterans. There were no special military rites offered. As it was back in Laos, they only had each other.  I imagined the bitterness they might have felt because they were left behind after we pulled out. It was emotionally confusing to me personally.  These men shared something so deep that only they could understand.  There was pride.  There was silence and a disturbing aloneness.  These normally very simple unassuming men were definitely a hardened display of resilience.

As I sat with so many conflicted feelings, I thanked God for these men and their service.  I thanked God for helping them, and what family members survived, get to Thailand safely.  As I grieved their losses and trauma, I thanked God for the missionaries that cared for them in the camps and connected them to resources in faith communities here in the States. Today I thank God for how a Mien elder in South Sacramento reached out to a Covenant pastor at Valley Hi Covenant Church which eventually led to the birth and flourishing of Mien Covenant Church.  I thank God for the season I had with their young adults and youth, bringing students to CHIC 2012, and seeing young families raise a new generation of Christ followers.   

God’s people going into messy and dangerous places to be the presence of Christ.  God’s people sacrificing and helping provide for real needs and connecting people to community.  God’s people sharing the gospel in word and deed.  Mien Covenant Church is one beautiful redemptive story out of the horrific suffering and tragedies of war. 

At the writing of this, the last evacuation flight out of Afghanistan just took off, leaving thousands of people stranded including Americans.  I’ve felt grief and a sense of helplessness as I’ve followed the news.  We are reminded again of the incredibly broken world we live in and the limitations of our human ways.  We are reminded to stay vigilant in prayer: intercession, lament, and thanksgiving. 

Praise the Lord, for he has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love. He kept me safe when my city was under attack. In panic I cried out, “I am cut off from the Lord!” But you heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help. (Psalms 31:21-22 read the whole chapter!)

Through all of the chaos and immense tragedy, I see beams of light as I know we have several Covenanters serving at World Relief and are on the front lines of receiving refugees.  I know many of you are partnering with other agencies like Lutheran Immigrant and Refugee Services.   I see beams of light in this vast darkness as I hear how churches and families are stepping out as resource people, host families, and volunteers.  I know many of you are taking up special offerings and sending financial support to agencies.  I heard one story of a Covenant business owner who has two Afghan employees.  He has been desperately contacting congressional leaders and anybody he can find to help his coworkers get their families to safety.  Light overcoming seemingly suffocating darkness…

We pray for safety and peace. We pray for miracles. We pray for redemptive pathways from the horrors of our longest war ever.  We pray for safe passage through borders and minefields.  We pray for God’s mercy and provision.  We pray for people to know Christ and his presence through the Holy Spirit. 

Those Mien elders reminded me of the deep pain and loss that accompanies war.  They also continue to remind me of God’s real presence and work in our lives.  Let us confess anew today our faith in the Lord.  May the Lord renew our strength and fortify our souls for this journey.  And may the Lord prod us to join him in his ongoing work in this world and in people’s lives. 

Eternal Friend,  

grant me an ease

to breathe deeply of this moment,

          this light,

                     this miracle of now.

Beneath the din and fury

          of great movements

                     and harsh news

                               and urgent crises,

make me attentive still

          to good news,

          to small occasions,

                     and the grace of what is possible

                               for me to be,

                                         to do,

                                                   to give,

                                                              to receive,

that I may miss neither my neighbor’s gift

          nor my enemy’s need.

Precious Lord,

grant me

a sense of humor

          that adds perspective to compassion,

gratitude

          that adds persistence to courage,

quietness of spirit

          that adds irrepressibility to hope,

openness of mind

          that adds surprise to joy;

that with gladness of heart

I may link arm and aim

with the One who saw signs of your kingdom

          in salt and yeast,

                     pearls and seeds,

                               travelers and tax collectors,

                                         sowers and harlots,

                                                   foreigners and fisherman,

and who opens my eyes with these signs

          and my ears with a summons

                     to follow to something more

                               of justice and joy.

“I Need to Breathe Deeply” (A Book of Prayers, Arthur A.R. Nelson)

By Greg Yee, Superintendent, PacNWC

What a stunning summer we’ve been blessed with here in the Pacific Northwest.  I hope you’ve found safe and soul-filling ways to get out.  I trust you’ve been able to physically reconnect with friends and loved ones as we saw restrictions loosen.  It’s been good to feel the grip of another hand and the welcome embrace of reunion these days. 

Mary and I just got back from our first trip ever to Olympic National Park. Why did we wait this long!  It was invigorating taking in all of the different ecosystems as we made our way around Highway 101. I knew I needed a lot more time to unwind when we first stopped at the Hurricane Ridge Visitors Center and I found myself frustrated that there was no cell signal or WiFi.  I’m a mess – pray for me!  As I settled in and slowed by soul, it was amazing taking in the beauty of God’s marvelous creation: The glaciers, waterfalls, giant trees, mossy rainforests, and all of those amazing drift logs that have collected on the beaches – especially Rialto Beach. Stunning! 

Mary and I got out because we were taking advantage of our 16-year old being at Cascades Camp for 10 days of SALT last week. Party time!  As I walked through this time without our “baby,” I found myself thinking a lot about our kids (25, 20 and 16 now); how we’ve done as parents; our youth group experiences versus what our kids have experienced in our Chicago, Sacramento, and Seattle chapters; their relationships; their futures…and under it all I thought about their relationship with Jesus. Even now as I continue to think about my kids, I realize that there’s so much that’s out of my control. But I also realize how much I do control and how much God asks all of us to steward when it comes to our young people – our kids and for our whole village of kids.

With that, I want to invite us to take time to give thanks and pray for our children.  I invite you to do this in three ways:

First, give thanks for those who shaped you.  Within one month of each other my home church children’s minister Flora Wong and my youth pastor and out fellow Covenant pastor Ed Lee graduated to glory.  These two faithfully poured into my life and shaped my understanding of following Jesus.  I also think of my parents, Jim and Janice Yee that in all of their imperfections perfectly kept our family spiritual soil fertile and watered.  It was my mom’s commitment to reading Bible stories and praying with us every night when dad was working swing or graveyard shifts, where I first prayed to Jesus to enter my life.  They have modeled faith, resilience, humility, servanthood, community, selfless love, and hope.  I invite you to give thanks for those who shaped and continue to shape you. Pray blessings over their lives and their memory.

A second focus is praying for those who are parents and other primary caregivers that have the high calling and exciting full-time ministry of shaping young people.  Proverbs 22:6 challenges us.  Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it. We all want our kids to have great opportunities, diverse experiences, and excel in things like music or sports.  But what is the “right path” that Solomon speaks of?  What are we modeling to our kids?  How do we actively show them what it means to prioritize Christ, church, and service?  What does it mean to teach our kids to love God’s word?  How do we actively show what it means to share our faith and sacrificially serve?  Let’s thank God for our parents and care-givers as they lean into their full-time ministries to their kids. 

My last invitation is to thank God and pray for others who are shaping our young people now.  I have heard so many stories around the conference about how lives have been changed at Cascades Camp.  I am so grateful for our long legacy of camping in our region.  Every year when I receive the report from Executive Director Rob Mohrweis and the staff about how many faith decisions and commitments are made, it continuously shows that something special happens at camp.  It continues to be one of the most fruitful ministries we do together.  Hundreds of young lives are transformed.  We hear this from our MUD and Thunder retreats and all the decades past at CHIC (now UNITE).  We have the best children, youth, and family ministers on planet earth!  I am so grateful for their committed service. Let’s give thanks and pray for those in our village that are helping us shape our kids.

If I’m honest, my heart is heavy for my kids.  I’ve told them each that more than anything else in the world, what I want the most is for them to know what it means to love and serve the Lord with their entire beings.  I pray for that everyday.  It’s a complex and increasingly Christian-foreign culture that they are growing up in.  As we enter into the back end of summer and anticipate a new school year, my encouragement is for us to double down on our young people; to make necessary changes in our priorities and investments; to stay fervent in prayer, and to show our kids more of Jesus.

Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power.  I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles. Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue; I will proclaim your greatness. Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness; they will sing with joy about your righteousness.  Psalm 145:4-7

Psalm 145:4-7

By Greg Yee, Superintendent, PacNWC

Introducing our third quarter’s focus is going to be easy. I won’t need to convince you.  I won’t need to offer a word of admonishment or speak a prophetic word.  No arm-twisting will be necessary at all!  Our Q3 focus is COMMUNITY.

UCLA professor Matthew Lieberman states that the need to connect socially is a basic foundational human need like food, water and shelter.  He pre-pandemically states that, “Being socially connected is our brain’s lifelong passion…It’s been baked into our operating system…Someday, we will look back and wonder how we ever had lives, work and schools that weren’t guided by the principles of the social brain…”¹

Neuroscience confirms what scripture has already taught us. We are hardwired for community.  It comes from being made in God’s image as Trinity.  The Father, Son, and Spirit have known perfect interactive unity, a divine communality. Jesus prays to the Father in the upper room, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me…”²  We are created for community.  It is not just what God intends, but it is his very nature, and ours. 

We reflect God when we are connected and woven together.  And we know well as Covenanters, that we are most creative and effective in mission when it comes out of a deepening and growing relationality.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.³

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.⁴

When we consider what being together again means after this pandemic journey, we’re challenged by what we hear: “It will never be the same again…” and “everything has changed.”  Our employers and even the Covenant Church is debating what will returning back to work together look like: fully remote, some hybrid variation, or fully back in person?  Is it possible to work effectively if we are not regularly connecting in person? 

We’ve learned about the importance and effectiveness of technology and how to widen our front door. We’ve learned to be more efficient with meetings and how we can reduce travel and save time.  But we’ve also learned the limitations of online connections.  We’ve learned how self-absorbed we can become when we are not investing in being with others. 

As churches are opening up again, this hardwiring is glaringly obvious. If you’re like me, it’s been so good to work out those atrophied relational muscles again.  It’s been so good to properly greet people again, shaking hands and hugging. I love the increased proximity and being able to engage people more fully.  I love being able to put my hand on a shoulder.  I love kneeling down to engage a child more fully.  I love being part of the beautiful sound of a room filled with people interacting.  It’s who we are. 

At the birth of the church, it was part of their first commitments.  They devoted themselves to learning, community, sharing meals, and prayer.  Literal miracles came out of this devotion – out of highly connected lives.  Discernment and wisdom about completely uncharted ministry direction came out of their 4-fold devotion.  It was out of community that lives were touched and transformed.  It was out of their investment in being together that mission went forward. 

We started 2021 focusing on evangelism in Q1 and then just finished our focus on prayer for Q2.  The timing could not be more perfect for us to now step into highlighting community.  We already long to be together again.  Our hope in this highlight is that we would come back together with greater clarity and purpose than ever before.  May it be Spirit-infused and guided.  Let’s stretch those muscles, Mission Friends.  Let’s build them up again, like never before. 

We look forward to highlighting stories, providing new resources, and inviting you into some shared experiences together over these next three months. 

A familiar African proverb and one used by a dear friend this past Sunday during his last sermon concluding over 20 years of service:

If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together.

Let’s go far together!

¹  TedX Talk: The Social Brain and Its Superpowers; Social: Why Our Brains are Wired to Connect, Lieberman, Matthew

² John 17:22-23a

³  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

⁴  Hebrews 10:24-25

By Greg Yee, Superintendent, Pacific Northwest Conference

As we prepare for Gather 21, our denominational annual meeting, I want to share some highlights for delegates and non-attenders alike. Recognizing the complexities of a denominational-wide annual meeting, our first ever online meeting will not be on the familiar Zoom platform. Rather, our leaders have turned to a company, AGM Convene, that specializes in helping organizations run online annual meetings and have had an impressive track record of success. 

We are a mission movement. Our annual gatherings are a beautiful time for us to recognize and celebrate our shared work together; what God led us into. It’s a time to experience the spirit of group discernment and collaboration. It’s a time for us to wrestle with difficult matters and to do the work of the church. 

I know some of us are not very excited about meetings and the formal structures of a denominational organization. I know some of us just flat out love meetings. We need it all. The trajectory and lived experience of joining God in his work in our communities and in the world is that we have Acts 2 seasons were we are in the throes of ministry and activity. “I don’t have time for meetings or organizational stuff, I’m busy doing ministry!” Is often heard.

We also know that the trajectory and the lived experience of joining God in his work also involves seasons like Acts 6 or 15. It’s when we run into the challenges of ministry activity and God calls us to organize, create systems, appoint leaders, discuss, have meetings, pray, discern, and decide on tough matters of ministry and life together. 

To be clear, this doesn’t mean that we should seek to have tons of (unnecessary) meetings.  But what I am saying is that all of this is necessary for good mission work together. It is at the heart of mission friendship. 

Please find background information and supporting documents/videos from the ECC here. 

Highlights for Gather 21:

• Lifetime Achievement Awards – We honor seven of our clergy who have offered lifetimes of faithful service and godly obedience this year: Sharon Anderson (Sammamish), Steve Bilynskyj (Eugene), Merrie Carson (Renton), Kent Egging (Mt. Vernon), David Husby (La Connor), Rona Husby (La Connor), and Vicki Lund (Stanwood).  Congratulations! 
• New Member Churches – Bread & Wine Covenant Church (Portland) and St. Thomas Covenant Church (Salem) join 13 other churches as they become our newest churches.  You’re finally official! 
• T.W. Anderson Award – This is given to one outstanding layperson each year. Nancy Karlson (2020) and Romeo Gonzalez (2021) will be recognized. Please read their stories.  Also know that it was our turn as a conference to assemble a team to review the nominees and choose a finalist.  Our team was thrilled to do this work!
• Irving Lambert Award – It was an absolute surprise when I was presented with this award last year for urban/multiethnic ministry. It is my conviction that we have been on an amazing journey in the Covenant. God has stretched and woven us together to be a mosaic of people and churches answering his call in a divided and broken world. This award is received recognizing so many – many of you – that were so instrumental alon the way and who also share my biblical convictions in the whole mission of the church.
• Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery – As we lean into our life together as a multi-ethnic denomination, we recognize that there are some painful parts of our history as the church particularly as it relates to Indigenous People. The Covenant’s Christian Action Commission has been working on a repudiation for this church-originated doctrine for the past few years. I’m encouraged that we are finally bringing it to the attention of the Covenant family and taking action on it. I am also proud of two of our very own Lenore Three Stars (Immanuel, Spokane) and Rev. Jim Sequeira (Cascade View, Vancouver) who have been key leaders in this work. Please find resources and an excellent 4-minute introductory video here. 
• Ordination Service – With Gather 2020 being canceled, this year’s ordination service will include 9 of our ministers: 6 from 2020 and 3 for this year. We will have our ordinands at Cascade with their families and loved ones as we collectively celebrate the laying on of hands and the vows taken of our ministers virtually with the rest of the Cov family. My anointed colleague, Superintendent Rev Dr. Catherine Gilliard (Southeast Conference) will be the ordination speaker. Join us online! 

So no matter if you’re a delegate or not, a meeting-lover or not, I trust that Gather 21 might be an encouragement to you as we hear even more highlights about our shared global work, ministries around compassion and justice, how we’ve made disciples of all ages, and so much more. God is moving among us!

But maybe most of all, after such an eventful year, where we might be finding ourselves right now amidst so many challenges, it’s always good to be with family.  We’ve experienced so much loss and are still disoriented in so many ways.  It’s always good to be together to worship our great protector and the one who watches over us. 

I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.

Psalms 121:1-8 NLT

[Click Here] for all information and to register for Gather 2021

By Greg Yee, Superintendent, PacNWC

It was good to be together last weekend for our 131st annual meeting and our second ever one online. Thank you Yakima Cov for hosting the team and for contributing such worshipful music and expert technical support. You were perfect hosts! It was good to be in your space as the conference family gathered.

I felt so many different emotions as our meeting culminated a long challenging year for us in our 75 churches and for our clergy serving in other settings. I felt our collective exhaustion and ongoing disorientation. It was an eventful, even traumatizing year that forced us to ask probing questions about ourselves. 

Who are we when we take away Sunday mornings?  Are we disciple makers?  Do we care for and love our neighbors?  How have our hearts shown where our actual citizenship lies?  How big is God?  There were so many questions we faced and still face.

I also felt our collective joy as we broke off into small groups and so many of us shared about how God surprised us, how we took leaps of faith into new ministry opportunities, and how we saw transformation.  We shared about strangers showing up to church online, many becoming regulars, and even some becoming members.  We shared about conversions, reconciliation, collaborations, and many baptisms! 

Truly, God’s word goes out.  It goes out into the realities of brokenness and pandemics. God’s word goes out and does not return empty.  We literally saw this reality when our entire society was shut down.  Our churches were physically empty. But even though, God’s work was effective and we were blessed to witness his miracles. 

On that note, if you were not at the AM, check out this clip from the full recording where I interview Rev. Grant Christensen from Grace Cov, Bremerton.  Grant shares his testimony of exactly what I’m quoting from the prophet Isaiah (55:11). God’s word went out and came back abundantly.  Check it out.  You’ll be blessed!

We also added 2 new member churches this year.  St. Thomas Cov, Salem and Bread and Wine Cov, Portland. It’s great to add to our efforts in our southern state. I also shared that we are in various stages of conversations with four established churches that are exploring adopting into the Covenant. They are very diverse types of ministry settings that will beautifully add to our shared mission. 

We shared about a lot of opportunities that are coming this year in the conference and at the camp, but our next event is a big one. We are offering our first ever, Justice Institutes that will be online on June 5th. We have an incredible line-up of anointed speakers that include Jamar Tisby (Racial Righteousness), Eugene Cho (Homelessness & Poverty), Randy Woolley (Doctrine of Discovery), and Sheila Wise Rowe (Recovery).  It’s encouraged to hear of churches that are organizing their entire church to participate. Let’s all continue to take a learning posture and lean into intentionality with these key issues affecting our communities that we are called to serve.  Register here. 

There is so much more to share: current quarterly focus on prayer; Cascades Camp summer programming; Youth Journey to Mosaic in August; partnership with the Southeast Conference; large individual donations helped send over 70 church staff families to camp to recharge, and so much more. Please be sure to check out our virtual ministry faire here for many other resources.

I am grateful for the confidence the AM had to re-elect me to a third four-year term.  I continue to be humbled by this call.  I continue to pray that the conference team and I would faithfully serve and support you into greater faith and fruitfulness and that God would multiply our shared mission. 

May God continue to speak through us. May his word go out from us. May his word be vividly demonstrated through our actions and commitments. In this new year, may God’s word go out and come back with surprises and with joy.

May our confidence be the same as Paul, And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns (Phil1:6).  God’s got much in store for us!

[Click Here] to go to the 2021 PacNWC Annual Meeting Resources Page

By Greg Yee, Superintendent, PacNWC

God shapes the world by prayer. The more praying there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil. — E.M. Bounds

Within the discouraging and at times overwhelming state of our world, we cling to prayer.  As Holy Week launches us forward, sometimes we feel stuck in Gethsemane.  Sometimes we carry such heaviness while crying out to God pleading for relief/removal.  But like Christ we lean in and journey forward.  And because of Christ, we are able to cling onto Easter hope and resurrection power.  We settle into Paul’s prayers:

“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” (Phil. 3:10-12)

I pray that you are drinking more and more deeply of this anticipatory hope, non-circumstantial joy and baffling-peace that comes with the way of Jesus.  He is risen!  He is risen indeed!

This month, I highlight two things for us here.

The first thing that I would like to share is about our upcoming annual meeting on Saturday,  April 24th. The theme is “Come and See What the Lord Has Done!” Love that.  We have much to share. 

Around this same time last year, we were barely two months into the pandemic.  Since then, we faced challenges that stretched and sometimes even tore at the fabric of our families, work, societally, and in our churches.  Within the crucible that was this year, impurities were burned away.  It helped us as churches get more focused and have more clarity about who we are and what we do.     

In it all, God faithfully reminded us of his constancy and his love for us.  Jesus reminded us of his promises that he himself would build the church.  The Spirit continued to fill us and guide us through the fog. 

We gather for our second online annual meeting, streaming from Yakima Covenant Church.  It is a perfect location after this particular year.  Eastern Washington reminds us that every season is necessary for fruitfulness.  God used this past season to lead us to fruitfulness as well.  Mission Friends, we have much to share about what the Lord did in us as churches and among us together.  There has been good fruit.   In addition to sharing good news with each other, we will have a time to pray together to thank God for his goodness last year and dedicate ourselves to the year ahead.   

Distance and finances are no longer an obstacle to sending your allotment of delegates.  Find more information and register HERE. 

The last thing I’d like to share is about our new quarterly focus.  As we step into a new quarter, we move from our focus on evangelism to, now,  prayer.  Associate Superintendent Dawn Taloyo continues to lead our quarterly emphases.  You will be hearing more from her in the days ahead, but here she gives us some framing:

“Following the church calendar, with Easter, Ascension Sunday and Pentecost in Spring, it feels right to keep prayer in focus. In the “in between” of Ascension and Pentecost we find the disciples in the upper room “joined together constantly in prayer.” That is the image and vision we hope to keep before us as a conference.  We are churches of the Pacific Northwest Conference joined together constantly in prayer.  We pray for one another, for our geographic areas, for our pastors and leaders, for justice to roll down, for the fields that are ripe for harvest, for God’s kingdom to come.

While on one hand prayer is one of the most human and innate of languages, rising up from deep and unconscious places, at the same time it takes nurture. Similar to the care needed in all growing and deepening relationships, it takes practice and intention.  There is no one way to pray. There are a multitude of prayer postures and languages to examine, try-on, and appreciate.  Over the next few months we look forward to encouraging new practices and intentions, as well as highlighting the stories of churches and practitioners. May we join together, as Covenant churches of the PacNWC, in this work behind the work.  Lord, hear our prayer.” 

Love it.  I’m looking forward to joining together in the “work behind the work.”  Stay tuned…

Friends, we’ll see you soon at the annual meeting.  Lets remember to “be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Rom 12:12). God bless!